Hair trimmer



June 9, 1953 w. M. MANsFlELD HAIR TRIMMER Filed March l2, 1948 INVENToR: v WARREN M MANSF/ELD BY JL Az? Patented June 9, 1953 HAIR TRIMMER Warren M. Mansfield, Glendale, Calif., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Cutter Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application March 12,' 1948, Serial No. 14,611

3 Claims.

The invention relates to a hair trimmer and more particularly to a trimmer having an adjustable razor blade. The device is adapted to serve several purposes such as trimming various lengths of hair, thinning the hair and it is also adapted to be used either as a razor or as an ordinary comb.

An object of the invention is to provide a hair trimmer which is simple in construction and cheap to manufacture.

A further object of the invention is to provide a hair trimmer having a slide or blade holder which is adapted by its resiliency to frictionally hold the blade in any position of adjustment to which it is pushed by the finger of the user.

The invention provides a comb having one side which is substantially flat and against which the blade rides, with a resilient non-planar slide for holding the blade. The slide holder when free from restraint is non-planar lengthwise and to facilitate applying the blade to the holder, pre'- paratory to inserting it in the comb, the invention provides an improved blade having a slot extending crosswise of the middle of the blade. therebf,7 providing a reduced amount of metal in the blade and hinge portions adjacent the middle of each cutting edge of the blade to facilitate bending the blade lengthwise. The holder has a corresponding lug for the blade. The comb is flexible and resilient lengthwise and has guideways for the holder and the blade. The resilience of the holder frictionally holds the holder and the blade in adjusted position, with the at side of the comb flexed slightly concave due to spring action of the holder. The blade conforms to and lies against the curved face of the comb, this be ing facilitated by the cross slot in the blade.

For further details of the invention reference may be made to the drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a plan view of a hair trimmer according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. l looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a central sectional view on line 3--3 of Fig. i looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a sectional View on line fil-4 of Fig. 5I'. looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view looking at the front of the blade holder of Fig. l.

All of the figures in the drawings are on the same scale and enlarged to twice full size of a certain model from which the drawings were prepared, although other dimensions may be employed.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the hair trimmer I comprises two pieces of thermoplastic material, namely, a body member 2 and a slide or blade holder 3, with a double edge razor blade 4.

The body member 2 has inturned ends spaced from body member 2 serving as parallel guideA ways 5 and 6 each providing a recess 'I and B respectively to slidably receive the reduced ends 9 and IB respectively of the holder 3.' The guideways 5 and 6 extend parallel to the lengths of the two sets of oppositely extending teeth I I and I2 on the opposite sides of the body 2. The front side I3 of the teeth II and the front side of only the base I'I of teeth I2 are ush with the front side I 4 of the body 2, providing a supporting surface for the inner side of the blade. The front sides 37 of teeth I2, outwardly of base I'I are raised above the level of base Il, providing a recess for the blade. Teeth I2 have alternate long slots l5. The remaining alternate slots I6 of the teeth I2 are short and out of range of the lower cutting edge 20 of the blade ll as seen in Fig. 1, whereby whatever hair is caught in the short slots I6 is not cut while the hair extending between the long slots I5 is cut.

The blade 4 has parallel cutting edges I9 and 2D which are spaced apart farther than the distance between the base line of teeth II and the base line of the slots I5 whereby with the blade 4 in the position shown in Fig. l, the user can employ the cutting edge 20 to thin the hair, and by turning the comb around can employ the cutting edge I9 to trim the hair. As shown in Fig. 3, teeth I I taper in thickness and as the left side of teeth II is usually against the scalp when trimming, a long cut is made when blade l is in the position shown, the cut being shorter as the cutting edge l!! is advanced along the teeth I I. The rectangular slide 3 is of course narrower than the blade 4.

As shown in Fig. 4, the blade 4 crosswise of the center thereof has an elongated narrow slot ZI having parallel sides 22 and 23 and extending adjacent the center of the cutting edges I9 and ZlL thereby providing a reduced amount of metal and hence hinge portions 2li and 25 adjacent the center of each cutting edge, to facilitate bending the blade 4 lengthwise to conform to the nonplanar holder 3 when inserting the holder and blade in the comb, while facilitating the blade to conform to the concave surface I Il of the comb when the holder is in place. As shown in Fig. 5, holder 3 has a central portion 26 which is sub stantially flat and end portions 2l and 28 which are also flat but similarly tilted out of line with the central portion 26, whereby the holder 3 has longitudinal curvature. The holder 3 is of ilexible resilient material and when not exed it is not flat as shown in Fig. 5, its overall thickness then being greater than the depth of the space between the side III and guideways 5 and ii. When the blade Il is flexed so as to substantiallv lit on the rear face of holder 3, as seen in Fig. 5.

- the holder 3 and the blade are then flexed so that ible material such as plastic, its flexibility being enhanced by the hinge or reduced cross section across its middle by the recess 32. When the holder` 3 is in place, by its inherent spring action it bends the body member 2 out of a plane so that its normally flat side I4 is concave lengthwise.

The front of the holder 3 has cast integral therewith a knob or finger piece 29 having longitudinal corrugations 311 for engagement by the nger, to push the slide back and forth so as to adjust the blade as desired, The blade 4 is moved with the holder 3, as holder 3 on the rear side thereof has an elongated rib 3| which fits the slot 2I in the blade. The rib 3| slides and ts in a corresponding recess 32 in the side I4 of the comb body. The recess 32 has parallel .sides and it extends lengthwise with respect to the teeth II and I2. Recess 32 is extended through ceru tain of the teeth indicated at 33 and 34 and guideways and 6 are open at their ends adjacent teeth II so that the slide 3 and the blade 4 can be removed from the body 2, for replacement of a blade, and for insertion of the slide and blade on the comb body 2. To protect the fingers when inserting the slide 3 and the blade 4 in the guideways 5 and 6, the outer corners of slide 3 have integral lugs 4B, fil which overlie the ends of cutting edge I9, for engagement by the iingers.

The rib 3| and recess 32 in being arranged at the center of the slide 3 and at the center of the body 2 serve to guide the slide and prevent it from tilting or jamming in the guideways 5 and 6. The rib 3l comes to rest at the end 35 of recess 32 so that the cutting edge 23 in its limiting movement outwardly of teeth I2 will cover only one 1 half of the circular openings like 36 at the bese of the long slots I 5.

By pushing on the knob 29 the holder 4 can be operated to slide the blade 4 so that its cutting edge 20 will be removed entirely from the long slots I5 whereby that side of the device may be used as an ordinary comb. The blade 4 can be similarly adjusted to overlie various lengths of the teeth II to cut hair of various lengths and the edge I9 can be adjusted slightly beyond the tips of teeth II whereby the edge I9 can be employed as a razor.

While I have illustrated the preferred form of mechanical movement for adjusting the blade and the preferred form for locking the blade in adjusted position, it will be apparent that various modications may be made therein.

I claim:

l. A combined razor, comb and hair trimmer comprising a body member having longitudinal flexibility' and having a set of comb teeth projecting from opposite sides thereof, said sets having bases more closely spaced than the width of double edge blade, the base of the teeth of one of sets and the whole of one side and base of the other set being nush with one side of said body member and forming a fiat razor blade receiving surface wider than a usual double edge blade, said one set having short slots out of range of said surface, each end of said body member terminating in a guideway extending parallel to the length of all of said teeth, a non-planar resilient slide narrower than the width of a double edge blade adapted to be ilexed to t in said guideways and adapted by its resilient action to bend said body lengthwise and frictionally and slidably hold the blade on said surface, said slide when unilexed having an overall depth greater than the depth of the space between said guideways and said one side of said body member, said guideways being open at one end thereof adjacent said other set of teeth for insertion and removal of said slide, a combined guide and razor blade lug extending crosswise at the rear center of said slide and a cooperating guide recess in said side of said guide body member, said recess being open at one end and extending lengthwise through certain of the teeth of said other set, and a nger piece at the front of said slide, said slide being adjustable in said guideways for adjusting the blade (1) to overlie said bases of both of said sets of teeth at thev same time, and (2) removed from the base of said one set and at various positions along the full length of said other set.

2. A hair trimmer comprising a comb having teeth and having a substantially flat side flush with the side of said teeth, said comb having a body and inturned ends spaced from said body providing guideways, said guideways extending parallel to the length of said teeth, a flexible non-planar resilient blade holder having ends slidably, flexibly, and frictionally fitting in said guideways to hold a blade against said side of the comb by resilience of said holder, an elongated lug on the rear of said holder for a like shaped opening in the blade and a guide recess therefor in said side of said comb, said recess being open at one end to allow said lug to enter, said holder` being slidable in said guideways lengthwise of said teeth to vary the cutting relation of the blade with said teeth.

3. The combination of a blade holder of resilient material, said blade holder being rectangular and having a width narrower than the width of a double edge razor blade, said holder having a rear side having end portions inclined out of line with the center of said holder, and a flexible double edge blade therefor having a central slot extending crosswise of the blade and providing a hinge portion adjacent the middle oi said blade to facilitate conforming said blade to said holder, the rear of said holder having an extended lug crosswise of the center of the holder and fitting said slot in said blade, and a comb having inturned ends providing parallel guideways for the opposite ends of said holder, said comb having a blade supporting surface more nearly planar than said holder when not flexed.

WARREN M. MANSFIELD.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,023,785 Perrone Apr. 16, 1912 1,287,338 King Dec. 10, 1918 1,300,802 Abernathy Apr. 15, 1910 1,317,748 Zimmerman Oct. 7, 1919 1,399,103 Butler Dec. 15121 1,401,915 Mainwaring Dec. 27, 192i 1,683,853 White Sept. 1l, 1928 1,932,110 Koree Oct. 24, 1933 2,008,591 Ohmer July 16, 1935 2,022,876 Anderson Dec. 3, 1935 2,034,262 Marrazzo Mar. 17, 1936 2,123,768 Corsico-Piccolini et a1. July 1.2, 1938 2,133,018 Cahill Oct. 1 1., i938 2,182,354 Rions/none Dee. 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 233,915 Switzerland Mar. 16, 1945 534,754 France Jan. 12, 1922 

